By the Wikipedia definition a mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "Merfolk" or "Merpeople". Mermaids are represented in the folklore, literature and popular culture of many countries worldwide.
South Africa - January 12-13, 2008
Herald reporter Aldo
Pekeur details the breaking new incident: It may have been a case of too many magic mushrooms in the
potjie, but a group of friends enjoying a braai on the banks of the Buffelsjags
River at Suurbraak, a village close to Swellendam in the Western Cape, have
reported spotting a legendary mermaid-like creature, known locally as the
Kaaiman. And the town’s tourism bureau is taking the claims
seriously. According to legend, the last sighting of the Kaaiman was
about 15 years ago, with it previously being spotted more than 20 years before
that.Suurbraak resident Daniel Cupido said he and a group of
friends were relaxing next to the river last weekend when, at about 11.30pm, he
heard something which sounded like someone “bashing on a wall.”
Cupido walked toward the sound. At a nearby low water bridge,
he said he saw a figure, “like that of a white woman with long black hair
thrashing about in the water.”Thinking to save her, he waded toward her, but said he
stopped in his tracks when he noticed a reddish shine in her eyes. The sight
sent “shivers” down his spine, yet he was pulled forward as if hypnotised. He called for his child, Deidrian, 13, and his nephew,
Werner Plaatjies, 11, to help him, breaking his trance. He then shouted to his
friends to take a look as well. Martin Olckers said he saw a female figure
swimming, first on one side of the low water bridge, then on the other, and
then standing on the bridge before diving back into the black water.
He said the figure made “the strangest sound”, like a woman
crying. His mother, Dina, said the figure sounded so sorrowful “my heart could
take it no more”. Her husband Martinus said their parents had warned them about
the Kaaiman, but they never believed it existed. The Kaaiman is described as a half human, half fish creature
which lives in deep pools. It is white and has long black hair and red eyes. Some people hold the Kaaiman responsible for drownings. Suurbraak tourism officer Maggy Jantjies said she knew the
people who saw the Kaaiman well, and that they did not misuse alcohol.
Alexander Carmichael
in his Carmina Gadelica
He reports of a mermaid who at
first seemed like a small human-like creature splashing in the sea a few feet
away from shore. The people who spotted
her had been harvesting seaweed at Sgeir na Duchadh on the Outer Hebridean
island of Benecula in 1830. Some of the
boys began to throw stones at the poor little thing and apparently hit it
because no more than a few days later, the little body of the mermaid washed
ashore not two miles away. He reports: "The upper portion of the creature
was about the size of a well-fed child of three or four years of age, with an
abnormally developed breast. The hair
was long, dark, and glossy, while the skin was white, soft, and tender. The lower part of the body was like a salmon,
but without scales."
It is reported the local sheriff
ordered a coffin and shroud, and the body was buried above the shore where it
was found. The tale of the mermaid of
Benecula may be the truest account of mermaids there is. If you go to the isle of Benecula (so the
locals tell) at the gloaming, you will see a gathering of mermaids. They are all weeping and many bring seaweed
and shells in honor of the lost little mermaid who was killed long ago.
Why such sorrow over this
unknown mermaid? Well, rumour has it, in
the Nether; it is believed this little mermaid of Benecula was actually the
granddaughter of King Triton. This is
why the ocean is in such turmoil, more often than not, off the shores of this
island.
2009 Hafia –Israel
Dozens of people in the Haifa suburb have reported seeing a creature that resembles a young girl leaping out of the water and doing aerial tricks across the waves before disappearing to her home under the sea. The town's local council is offered $1 million to anyone who could prove the creature exists.
In 1990 a creature, which has yet to be categorised, was found in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland (UK) believed by some to be a mermaid.
Sandwood, in Sutherland, was once known as the 'Land of Mermaids' because of the number of sightings. The mermaid was described as the top half of the body resembling that of a European woman, whilst the bottom was said to resemble that of a fish.
25th Century Suffolk, England
In the twelfth century it was reported that a merman was caught by fishermen off the east coast near Suffolk, England (UK). He seemed unable to speak when released from the nets. The merman was taken to a church and even tortured but still not utter a sound. Described as 'the appearance of a man in all his parts' the merman quickly escaped when taken to the water supposedly to bath.
A mermaid was said to haunt 'Mermaid
Rock', Cornwall (UK). Whenever she was sighted it indicated that there was a
shipwreck to be expected and therefore the lifeboats should be prepared. It was
said that she lured the ships towards the rocks by her singing.
So Next time you go swimming better take a camera with you…Just
in case!